Decision Guide: Selecting Decision Support Tools for Marine Spatial Planning
Presentation on the "Decision Guide: Selecting Decision Support Tools for Marine Spatial Planning" by Melissa Foley and Erin Prahler of the Center for Ocean Solutions (August 18, 2011). As marine spatial planning (MSP) becomes a priority for the United States and other countries around the world, there is a real need to: (1) identify the visualization and decision support tools (collectively referred to here as DSTs) that are currently available to ocean and coastal planners and managers (users); (2) understand why they were developed and where they have been used; (3) characterize how current DSTs can be used in MSP processes; (4) identify synergies between DSTs; (5) identify groups of tools that could be used in tandem as part of “MSP toolboxes” throughout MSP processes; and (6) bring these toolboxes to the user community. The Center for Ocean Solutions has developed the Decision Guide to help users select DSTs for marine spatial planning processes in their own jurisdictions. This presentation described the Decision Guide and available tools. Download the decision guide at www.ebmtoolsdatabase.org/resource/msp-guide.